Though the king was deeply distressed, because of his oaths and the guests he did not want to refuse her. The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John’s head. So, he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. The girl gave it to her mother.     Mark 6:26-29 HCSB

This is not a pleasant story, and the reason is because we see a king who could not turn away from his evil ways and follow Jesus.

John the Baptist had been going throughout the land preaching repentance. King Herod Antipas had divorced his wife and married his brother’s wife, Herodias. This went against Mosaic law. Leviticus 18:16 says you shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife which means have intimate relations with her because it will shame your brother. And Leviticus 20:21 says if a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing. He has shamed his brother and they will be childless.

John called Herod and Herodias out on their sin. Herod had to do something, but he feared John because he realized that John was a just and godly man, so he put him in prison. Herodias held a grudge for the things he had said about them and wanted John dead. Because Herod was in awe of John, he protected him and did not want to kill him. You can read about this in Mark 6:14-20.

In Mark 6:20 it says when Herod would hear John, he would be very disturbed, yet he would hear him gladly. What does this mean? Well, it means that hearing John’s preaching was causing some serious internal conflict for Herod. So, he’s caught between his sin and the right thing to do.

I have found myself in this position and I can tell you it’s very uncomfortable. I can also tell you that in this situation, the best thing you can do is surrender to Christ and let Him help you out of this predicament. It may be painful at first, but it’s well worth it in the end.

Unfortunately, that’s not what Herod did. Herod continued in his sinful ways and threw a big party for his birthday. There are all these military and social leaders there. I would imagine the alcohol is flowing, although it doesn’t say this, I’m just guessing. Everyone is having a great time. And Herod’s stepdaughter, Herodias’ daughter provides the entertainment. She dances for all these men. John MacArthur describes this as a solo dance with some very suggestive movements. The men were pleased and Herod was so pleased that he made an oath in front of all these guests to give her whatever she wanted up to half the kingdom.

This young girl didn’t know what to ask for, so she went to her mother. Her mother knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted John the Baptist’ head on a platter. Unfortunately, even though he had protected John and obviously didn’t want to hurt him, he had made this oath in front of all these guests, so he felt he had no choice. He did as she asked.

Herod had been in a position to repent, but instead he carried on as usual having his stepdaughter perform a suggestive dance for him and his friends. As a result, he found himself deeper in where he could see no way out.

Just like Herod, we often find ourselves in moral conflict when we are doing something we know is wrong. We have two choices, we can repent and change our ways, or we can carry on as usual and fall deeper into our sin.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that we all go through temptation, but that God will not tempt us beyond what we can bear and will always provide a way out.

If you feel your conscience tugging at you, repent and clear your conscience. This is the Holy Spirit convicting you and urging you to turn around before it’s too late. Repent of your sin, give it over to God and ask him to strengthen you against further temptation. The hardest thing is making the decision, once you turn to God, He will take over from there.

Have a great day!